Category Archives: On the agenda

On the agenda: ClasTran and neighborhoods

Posted on December 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

Official flag of the City of BirminghamIt’s a short Birmingham City Council agenda this morning but its impact could be incredible during this last week of 2010 (It’s only 5 pages).

Item 3 would make $121,500 from the city’s general fund available to ClasTran to help reduce a budget shortfall. This action was promised earlier this month by Mayor Bell, meaning that the city will fulfill its financial obligation. There is still some issue with what the Jefferson County Commission will do and where the additional funds will come from.

The folks in North Pratt will finally have their neighborhood election results certified by the city if Item 11 is approved this morning. Officers for all of the city’s 99 neighborhoods serve two year terms, meaning we’ll have our next set of elections in 2012. The Fountain Heights neighborhood will be able to erect a new neighborhood entrance sign 18th Street North near 16th Court North, adding to the signs popping up throughout the Magic City.

What happens? It wrapped before 10:30 a.m. so you’ll have to check out the video archive.

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On the agenda: Sewers and skyboxes

Posted on December 21, 2010 | Leave a comment

Official flag of the City of BirminghamCouncilor Rafferty’s proposal to reduce the number of representatives from the City of Birmingham serving on the BJCTA‘s Transit Advisory Committee (held over for three weeks already) is back on the council agenda today (Item 6). There’s also a $22,000 bid to re-carpet Legion Field‘s skybox (Item 20).

The major item on today’s agenda involves the city’s storm water management program. Item 14 allows the mayor to enter a contract with Malcolm Pirnie for up to $535,975 to assist with the development of that plan and to help prepare a required report to ADEM. Item 15 puts them under contract (for $89,895) to help address issues brought up during a recent audit of the city’s storm water management system.

The recap will be online later today…

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On the agenda: Smaller and green

Posted on November 30, 2010 | Leave a comment

Official flag of the City of BirminghamIt’s a fairly quiet agenda this morning for Birmingham’s City Council meeting. Probably the most interesting aspect of the agenda is seeing that Major Todd Smith, area commander for the Salvation Army Birmingham Area Command will be delivering the invocation. Maj. Smith recently presented plans to the Norwood neighborhood to develop a unified complex on the edge of the neighborhood. The neighborhood voted against the plan 52-0 though it looks as though he still plans to move forward.

Item 4 is a proposal by Councilwoman Kim Rafferty to reduce the number of representatives serving on the BJCTA’s Transit Advisory Committee. The eighteen-member panel currently includes 12 people from Birmingham.

Item 26 is currently on consent and would allow for Alive2Green to “provide information for green energy efficiencies and retrofit within the corporate limits of Birmingham.” Alive2Green would be paid up to $15,000 for the service according to the item. Incidentally, it’s the company behind the Green Building Focus conference.

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On the agenda: Support for the beltline and parks

Posted on November 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

Official flag of the City of BirminghamThis morning’s Birmingham City Council agenda is a little smaller than normal – 15 pages to be exact. It’s the stuff covered within those pages that are interesting.

Item 35, if approved, will state that the City Council fully supports the Northern Beltline “in order to address regional transportation needs.” The item was on consent but was removed.

Item 17 will make some changes to the contract between the City of Birmingham and the Railroad Park Foundation. It will simply change the name of the agency that the City has the contract with and allow for the first of ten renewals of three years each.

Items 1 & 2 will allow for a new establishment, the Emporium Nightclub, to open in the space most recently occupied by the Continental Ballroom.

The meetings are streamed online and available for review; the agenda is available for review now.

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UPDATE: On the agenda: Amnesty and advertising

Posted on September 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

Official flag of the City of BirminghamThis morning’s Birmingham City Council meeting is already underway as I’m writing this and there are several items on the agenda of interest.

Item 27 is the first reading of a change to the city code that would alter the look of our city streets. The change would allow our transit authority, the BJCTA, “to advertise on bus stops, benches, and/or shelters” providing a new revenue stream to the agency. The item was withdrawn by Councilor Rafferty because of an addition that needed to be made to the item.

Item 30 would let Mayor Bell enter into a redevelopment agreement with the Alabama School of Fine Arts providing no more than $30,300.00 for “public streetscape and infrastructure improvements and rebate of construction fees in support of ASFA’s expansion project.”

Items 29 & 68 will make those who owe overdue taxes and parking fines respectively at least a little happier. It would allow for an amnesty period (the month of November for taxes; October and November for parking, traffic and other non-moving violations) for people to pay the amounts due without having to worry about the penalties.

Council meetings are streamed live weekly and archived on the city’s website.

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On the agenda: WiFi and vacation (of alleys)

Posted on July 27, 2010 | 1 comment

This morning’s Birmingham City Council agenda is only 30 pages long (yes, I said only) but it fits a lot in there.

Item 24 supports an effort to pursue federal funds that would allow the city to provide free wireless internet access throughout. NO word on when the

new Woodlawn United Methodist Church DesignItem 26 will set an August 31 public hearing to determine whether or not “a fence and gate can be placed across 27th Place South blocking vehicular access to Hanover Circle from St. Vincent’s Hospital.” while Item 27 will set a second public hearing on that date to determine if a second unimproved lot will be vacated to allow Woodlawn United Methodist Church to build a new structure (pictured to your left) to replace the one lost to a fire last spring. Both moves have been recommended by a council committee.

The meeting’s going right now (and is available archived) on the city’s website as is the agenda.

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On the agenda: Rowdy clubs get noticed

Posted on June 29, 2010 | Leave a comment

Official flag of the City of BirminghamThere is not a lot that jumps out at you at first glance when you look over this morning’s Birmingham City Council agenda, well, not necessarily…

The council is preparing to take action based on an earlier pledge to deal with some of the rowdier clubs in the city. The revocation of the Continental Ballroom‘s license is Item 1 – front and center. According to this report in The Birmingham News last month, there have been 101 incidents at the club in the past year.

Other items:

Item 14 establishes new seats on the city’s Benefits Review Committee, sure to be a result of the continuing budget process taking place. Item 15 provides $25,000 to Vulcan Bike Week at the Birmingham Race Course (incidentally starting tomorrow and running through July 3). Item 16 makes investments in the infrastructure of two of the city’s cultural institutions, the Birmingham Museum of Art (chiller and alarm system) and Sloss Furnaces.

The meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. and you can watch live (or archived) via the city’s website.

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